View Vangie's Tribute VideoVangie Schumacher, 90, Eureka, SD, died of natural causes on March 5, 2012, at Avera Eureka Health Care Center. Services will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, March 10, 2012 at the Zion American Lutheran Church in Eureka with the Rev. Ryan Gage, officiating. Interment follows at Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Eureka. Organist will be Lana Hilgemann and congregational hymns will be “Abide with Me”, “Great is Thy Faithfulness” and “My Hope is Built on Nothing Less”. Dennis and Margie Walker will sing “She’s an Angel”/”Where the Roses Never Fade” and Rhona Glaesman, Margaret Raile, and Nina Kunz “In the Garden”. Ushers will be Donald Kaul and Duane Wanner.

Vangie was born on September 6, 1921, on the family farm. Her mother Ida Gugel Rath and her father John D. Rath were the proud parents of six children (LaVera, Vangie, Robert, Leone, Becky and John). Vangie attended elementary school located northeast of Long Lake (Harrison Township) and graduated from Leola High School. She married Reinhold Schumacher on November 28, 1940, at the Salem Emmanuel Lutheran Church, Long Lake. Her professional career as a homemaker, mother and spouse began as a partner in a fledgling farm family filled with joy, hard work, compromise, sorrow and success. With few cattle and little machinery, Vangie and Reinie began their married life on the Brandner farmstead with 160 acres. The work was taxing and often the crops were poor in quality but both persisted and beat the odds of conquering South Dakota agriculture practices. Their four children, Richard, Luther, Jim and Nina all played a vital part in the business and all learned to work every phase of the farming operation. Family gatherings with their children and grandchildren were always one of her happiest moments.

Vangie was a proud member of the Long Lake and Eureka Communities and participated in school activities with her children, was a board member of the Eureka Pioneer Museum, served as a volunteer for the Lutheran Brotherhood Insurance Company, was a member of the Eureka Community Hospital Auxiliary, and enjoyed the fellowship and works of art in the Eureka Sewing Club. Vangie was a social person and loved people. She was blessed with the ability to make people feel comfortable which was based solely on her gracious hospitality.

Being a devout Lutheran, Vangie sang in the church choir, was a member of the Zion Lutheran WELCA, and served on various committees in both Salem Emmanuel and Zion Lutheran churches.

Her greatest love was her husband Reinhold and her children. She enjoyed her role as homemaker and was known as one of the finest cooks in the area. She also shared in farm chores above and beyond her homemaker duties. Her home was always open to family, friends as well as visitors and often salespersons would stop at the farm around lunch time and they were always invited to stay for a meal. Vangie had the rare gift of playing the piano by ear. She could hear a song and immediately play the song in its entirety by memory. She loved to play the piano and found a quiet solace doing so.